Provider Profile: Easy DNA

Provider Profile: Easy DNA

Written by
Claudia
Smith
3 May 2014

Overview
Easy DNA offer a broad range of DNA testing services across more than 20 countries. As well as providing their services direct to consumers, they also have a number of partnerships with medical clinics and private practitioners.

Provider Background
To date, Easy DNA have conducted over 300,000 DNA tests, from paternity testing to establish the biological father of a child, to genetic predisposition testing to identify the conditions a person may suffer with later in life, to genetic ancestry testing to trace a customer’s paternal and maternal lineage. They even offer forensic testing services to collect and analyse the DNA found in hair, nails, clothing, and other sources.

Easy DNA have been involved in many high profile DNA testing cases, such as the claim that a Mr George Dryden was the son of Canadian ex-Prime Minister George Diefenbaker. They’ve also consulted for several TV shows such as the BBC’s ‘Silent Witness’ and ‘EastEnders’, where DNA testing is central to the story.

WhatClinic.com awarded Easy DNA one of their 2014 awards for customer service, and the live chat function built into each Easy DNA website is an example of their efforts to help customers find the DNA test that’s right for them.

The tests themselves
A typical Easy DNA relationship test requires the customer to be sent a DNA sample kit which can be completed at home. All the customer and alleged relative need to do is brush the inside of their cheek with a swab for a few minutes to collect the samples. The process is completely painless and is one of the most reliable ways of collecting DNA. Once the samples are received at the lab with the appropriate consent forms, a comparison can be made.

For paternity testing, Easy DNA are able to disprove a biological relationship between the child and alleged father at 100% accuracy, and prove a biological relationship at 99.99% accuracy. For prenatal paternity testing, Easy DNA are one of the few providers that can perform a non-invasive test requiring a sample of the mother’s blood. The unborn baby’s DNA can then be isolated and compared against the DNA collected from the alleged father’s cheek swab sample.

It’s interesting to note that when we reviewed their paternity test, it was US-based ‘Genetic Testing Laboratories’ that processed the samples, and when we reviewed their genetic predisposition test, it was US-based ‘Clinical Testing Laboratories’ that processed the samples. When researching Easy DNA’s genetic ancestry tests, we also discovered their ‘Ancestral Origins’ test is supplied by Genetic Testing Laboratories.

Easy DNA clearly have a number of re-seller partnerships in place to support their services, however, it isn’t always clear to the consumer that the test will be conducted by a third party.

Summary
Easy DNA are a major seller of consumer DNA testing and the breadth of their international operation is testament to their success. In our experience, their re-seller partnerships may make it difficult for them to compete on a customer service level, as they’re not in full control of the process like other providers that test in-house. However, Easy DNA have a strong position in the market which is a healthy reflection of consumer demand for DNA testing services.